Method of forming flanged metal wheels.



E. E. SLICK.

METHOD OF FORMING FLANGED METAL WHEELS. APPLICATION FILED NOV.14, 190s.RENEWED mums, 1910.

Patented July 19, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. E. SLICK.

METHOD OF FORMING FLANGE-D METAL WHEELS.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV.14, 190a. RENEWED u! 18, 1910.

965,041., Patented July 19,1910.

WKTNESEEES REVENTQH i l/@0 2, JM4

EDWIN E. SLICK, 0F PITTSBURG,-PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF FORMING FLANGED METAL WHEELS.

Specification 01 Letters l 'atent.

Patented July 19, 1910.

Application filed November 14, 1908, Serial No. 462,608. Renewed May 18,1910. Serial No. 562,067.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. SLIQK, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county,Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Method of Forming FlangedMetal Wheels of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of. this spec fication, in which Figure 1 is a lan view of a castingot, as made in accor ance with m invention; Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the ingot of Fig. 1 as reduced and framed in the first step ofmy improved method; Fig. 3 is a plan view'showmg the manner in which theingot of Figs. 1 and 2 is cut into wheel blanks in the next step in themethod forming my invention; Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views showingreciprocating forgin dies adapted to form the wheel blanks of Tig. 3into flanged-wheels in accordance with my invention; Figs. 6, 7 and 8'are sectional views showing rocking or rotating dies arranged with theaxes of the opposing dies at an angle to each other and ada ted to carryout the forgin operation in orming the wheel blanks 0 Fig. 3 intoflanged wheels in accordance with my invention; and Figs. 9, 10 and 11are sectional views similar to Fig. 4 showing the flow of metalin'suceessive steps of the forging operation.

in forming the blank shown dotted in Fig. 4 into the shape shown insection in Fig. 4, the blank shown dotted in Fig. 4 being the same asthe blank shown in full lines in y invention relates to the manufactureof wrought metal wheels, in which a hub is joined by a continuous web toa rim portion, and it particularly relates to wheels formed integral andhaving hub, web and flan ed trea or rim ortions.

T e object of the invention is to rovide a novel and effective method oforming an improved method of forming wheels in' which the number of oerations is reduced,

the expense ofmaking t 1e wheels is lessened,

and in which the resulting product is cheapened while wheels of animproved quality' are obtained.

The invention consists in an improved method of making flanged wheels ofwrought metal, including the casting of the multiple length blank, thesevering of the cast blank transversely into single wheel blanks, andthe forging operations, by a series of novel steps by which a wheel isproduced in which the grain or fiber of the metal is not crossed by anypoint on the wearing surfacesof the finished wheel, and by which thegrain or fiber of the metal extends in the same general directionaxially outward at all points in the periphery of the finished wheel.

The invention also consists in forming a Wrought blank with its axiallycentral portion-formed from the axially central portion of the castblank and then displacing metal intermediate of the hub and edge of theblank into the flange of the wheel.

The invention also consists in making forged metal wheels havin a flangeportion formed of metal disp aced from the body of the blank between theaxial center and the periphery or marginal edge of the blank and havinga tread portion whose outer side or edge portion is formed of metaldisplaced from 'the periphery or marginal edge of the blank or ingot.

The invention further consists in severing a cast ingot transverselyinto wheel blanks and forging the severed blanks into wheels havingtheir wearing. surfaces or periphery formed from the cut surface of thesevered blank.

The invention still further consists in the method of forming wrought.metal wheels in which the blanks are forged into wheels and surplusmetal in the blank is displaced by the forging operation and is H itsaxial center and changing its cast granular structure into a fibrousstructure. The blank3 is then severed transversely by shearing, sawing,or in any other desired manner, into cylindrical cheese shaped Wheelblanks 4 of the desired weight and thickness. Preferably the cut blanki. at least as thick as the thickness through the hub of the finishedwheel. The cut wheel blanks are re heated, and are then forged intofinished wheels by means of suitable forming dies, either reciprocatingdies, rotary dies, or rocking dies having their axes at an angle to eachother being employed to carry out the forming operations. V

In carrying out the forging operation by means of reciprocating dies,such as are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. the cut blank is placed between thedies 5 and (i of Fig. 4 in the position shown by dotted lines therein.The movable die is then reciprocated to press or force the blank intothe shape shown by 7 in Fig. 4. The partly formed blank? is thenpreferably removed, to a second set of reciprocating forging dies 8 and9 having die cavities as shown in Fig. 5, and the blank 7 is thenfurther forged, to complete the wheel 10. In Fig. 9 the blank shown infull lines is pressed into the form shown in dotted lines in the firststage of the forging operation and on continuing the forging operationin these dies the shape is further changed from that shown dotted inFig. 9 into that shown dotted in Fig. 10; by continuing the movement ofthe dies toward each other the shape shown dotted in Fig. 10 is finallyformed into that shown in dotted lines in Fig. 11, which is the sameshape as that shown in section in Fig. 4.

It-Will be noted that in the forging operation in the first set. of dies5 and 6, the blank is dished so as to cause what was the peripheralsurface of the severed blank to form the outer surface of the treadof'the wheel, and that in the succeeding forging operation between thedies 8- and 9, the flange and the wearing surface of the tread is formedfrom metal which is displaced from its original location in the shearedor cut surface of the blank at a point between the peripheral edge andthe axial center of the blank.

In carrying out the operations of forging the blanks by means of rotaryor rocking dies having their axes at an angle to each other, as shown inFigs. 6, 7 and 8, the blank 7 is first reduced in thickness and isdished between rocking dies 11 and 12 having a contour preferably asshown therein, the cut blank being shown in dotted lines and the blankas dished in these dies being shown in section. The partly formed'blank7 is then preferably removed to a second set of dies 13 and .14., inwhich the blank is further reduced and the forging operation isfinished, the beginning of the second forging operation being. shown inFig. 7, and the completion of this forging operation being shown in Fig.8, the dies in Figs. 7 and 8 being of similar shape. In the first set ofdies 11 and 12 the blank 7 1s dished into approximately the shape shown,and in the next forging step the flange and tread are formed ofdisplaced metal originally located between the periphery and axialcenter of the cut blank. The wearing surface of the flange and tread isin this way formed from metal originally in the cut surface of thesevered blank, the peripheral surface of the severed blank beingdisplaced so as to form the outer edge of the tread of the finishedwheel. This is of great advantage, as the peripheral surface is liableto have surface defects which are in this way removed from the wearingsurfaces of the wheel.

In forming the cut blanks from the ingot. the blanks may vary slightlyin thickness and weight, and should a slight amount of excess metal bepresent in the blank. by arranging the dies in the peculiar manner shownin the drawings, any such excess metal in the blanks will be rolledoutwardly and will form a fin on the peripheral edge portion of theflange of the wheel. the sides of the fin being parallel to or being atan angle other than a right angle to the axis of the blank. By theseineans I am enabled to finish wheels to a certain thickness and weightfrom blanks having a varying weight or thickness, the thin fin formed byreason of such excess weight being formed in such position on the wheelthat 1t does not retard the rolling operation and prevent the dies beingbrought into their closed position.

While I have shown two sets of reciprocatin' dies and two sets of rotaryor rocking dies iavingtheir axes at an angle to each other for formingthe wheel by forging, but one set of dies may be employed to perform theforging operation, in such case the dies having die cavities similar tothose shown in Figs. 5 or 8.

The advantages of my invention will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art. By my peculiar method of forming the in ot, severing the ingotinto blanks, and hen forging the wheels by the steps as described, I amenabled to produce rolled flanged wheels having a fibrous structurewhich does not cross at any point the periphery of the finished wheel,and in which the grain or fiber in the finished wheel bears the samerelation to'its axis at all points around the axis. This is ofparticular value as it .insures the tread portion of the wheels wearingregularly, and very largely )revents the formation of false flanges andat spots on such wheels.

- The peculiar series of steps of manipulating the blank enables theforming of wheels having integral flange and tread portions in whichthe-wearing surfaces of the flange and tread areformed from metalin thesheared or cut surface of the severed blanks, and d1splaces the metal inthe periphery of the cut e tread portion lanks to theputer edge of t ofthe wheel, and the number of steps neces sary to form the wheels isreduced, the cost of such Wheels being lessened thereby,

While in Figs. 4 and 5, I show the hub of the wheels solid, and Figs, 6,'7 and 8, the hub of the wheel punched, the wheels may be punched eitherat the be inning of-the forging operation or after the forgin 0 erationhas been completed, or the b an 8 may be unched during an intermediatestage of t e for ing operation, or simultaneously therewith, as isdesired.

Changes in the arrangement and in the construction of the dies may bemade with-- out departing from my invention. The ingot may be formedwith a cylindrical or polygonal cross-section, forming approxi-' matelya circular shape, and may be of any desired length The manner in whichthe cast ingot is vreel-need in cross-sectional area and is severed intoblanks, and the thickness of the blanks, may be varied, the .n'u'mher offorging steps in forming the wheels may be changed, and othermodifications may be made within the scope of the claims.

I claim l. The method or Iormin wheels, con sisting in taking an ingot,r ucin .its cross sectional area, severin transverse y there from ablank having its axisextending in the same direction relative to themetal of the blank that the axis efthe in ct extended relative to thesame metal, t en forcing therefrom a metal intermediate the peripheryand axial centeroutwardlyinto therim portion of the wheel.

2. Themethod of forming wheels, consisting in takin an ingot, severingtransversely lank havin its axis extendin in the same direction re.ative to the meta of the blank that the axis of the ingot extendedrelative to the'same metal then forcin metal intermediate the eripheryand axial center outwardly into tie rim portion of the wheel. 7

3. The method of forming wheels, consisting in'taking an ingot, reducingits cross sectional area, severing transversely there from a blankhaving its axis extendin in the same direction relative to the meta ofthe. blank that the axis of the ingot e2rtend-v ed relative to the samemetal, then forcing Vmetal intermediate the periphery and axial EDWIN E.SLlGK.

Witnesses R. D. LITTLE, H. M. Conwm.

